Conventionally, feedstuffs such as hay (e.g., alfalfa, clover, grasses, etc.) are cut, dried naturally in the field, and then baled into bales of various sizes. This procedure is extremely dependent upon the weather. If there is rain or high humidity after the hay is cut, several days may be required before the hay is dried sufficiently to permit baling. If too much moisture is present in the hay when it is baled it can spoil easily.
Recently there has been proposed a procedure for drying chopped hay in a heated dryer and then packaging the hay in containers for shipment and storage until the hay is fed to animals. However, it is not desirable to package chopped hay until it has been cooled to ambient temperature and dried sufficiently to reduce moisture content.
There has not heretofore been described an effective and efficient technique for cooling and drying particulate material such as chopped hay or other particulate feedstuffs. The present invention provides apparatus which is very useful in such situations.